Being the home of Champagne, the 1958 French Grand Prix at Rheims offered certain extra incentives for drivers: š¾100 bottles for the first driver to lap at over 200kph and another 100 for fastest lap!
1958 saw the first appearance of a Formula OneĀ® Lotus, which looked to some like āa small Vanwallā. Not necessarily surprising as Frank Costin worked on the shape of both.
The legendary Fangio also made an appearance in a Maserati. To illustrate the code of honour between drivers of that era, race leader Mike Hawthorn decided not to lap Fangio towards the end of the race out of respect for the great man. It turned out to be Fangioās last race in Europe.
Qualifying saw the Ferraris at the front of the grid as the battle with Vanwall swung back and forth between the two rivals. Hawthorn led right from the first lap with Moss finishing second in his Vanwall. It was Ferrariās first victory of the season but it was bittersweet due to the death of their driver Luigi Musso, at the age of 31.
Moss (Vanwall) and Hawthorn (Ferrari) left Rheims with 23 points each in the Drivers Championship. The 1958 season couldnāt have been closer.
The Winning Team, painting by John Ketchell. Courtesy of the artist and Historic Car Art.
š«š· FRENCH GRAND PRIX: July 6 1958, Rheims-Gueux, Champagne-Ardenne, France. Temporary road course, 5.16 miles, 50 Laps (approx. 258 miles)
Winning Driver: š Mike Hawthorn, Ferrari, 2h 3m 21.3sec, 125.46mph.
2nd place: š Stirling Moss, Vanwall VW10, 2h 3m 45.9s.
3rd place: š Wolfgang von Trips, Ferrari, 2h 4m 21sec.
Fastest lap: š„ Mike Hawthorn, Ferrari, Lap 45, 2m 24.9sec, 128.19mph
Qualifying times: š„ Pole Position: Mike Hawthorn, Ferrari, 2m 21.7sec š„ 2nd on the grid: Luigi Musso, Ferrari, 2m 22.4sec š„ 3rd on the grid: Harry Schell, BRM, 2m 23.1sec
VanwallĀ® is a registered trademark in the UK & EU.
Vanwall 1958 Limited is a company registered in England & Wales No.10534203.
